Fairborn United Methodist Church Records

In the spring of 1831, members of a “Methodist Society” purchased ground in the Village of Fairfield, Ohio for a house of worship. The Society met in various members’ homes until a building was erected in 1846. The present location of the Fairborn United Methodist Church was acquired in 1871 and construction of a red brick church building was completed in 1872.

In nearby Osborn, Ohio a Methodist-Episcopal society was formed in 1853. By 1871, the Osborn Methodists had completed a frame church building where they held services.

When the railroad came to Bath Township in the 1850s, it bypassed Fairfield and ran through Osborn. As a consequence, by the end of the century Osborn was growing rapidly while Fairfield declined in population. In 1899, the Fairfield church closed its doors due to a lack of funds. However, it reopened in 1906 with a new minister, J.A. Huffman, who agreed to be paid only what could be raised in each week’s collection plate. Under Huffman’s leadership, the Fairfield church regained its equilibrium, paid its debts, and attracted new members. It did not suffer closure again.

In 1922, the flood prevention plans of the Miami Conservancy District called for the relocation of the Village of Osborn from its original site to one just east of Fairfield. At that time, the congregation of the two churches was consolidated into the Fairfield-Osborn Methodist Episcopal Church, with the Fairfield building as the home for the new congregation. With this consolidation and the building of Wright-Patterson Field nearby, the membership of the church steadily increased. Expansion and remodeling projects were undertaken in 1925, 1947, 1958, and 1963.

A longer, more detailed account of the development of the Fairborn church can be found in the publication, A History of the Fairborn United Methodist Church which is located in Box 10, File 1 of this collection.